Book Review - Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Title: Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Author: A.S. King
Year: 2010
Page: 326
Genre: Fiction - YA

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Maybe
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.

First Sentence:
Before I died, I hid my secrets in the Master Oak.  

Why did I pick this book?
The Perpetual Page Turner's end of 2010 Survey (see here) said this is one of her favorite books in 2010. Since she also likes The Hunger Games and If I Stay, I thought I'd give this a try.


My thoughts:

• This is just okay to me... while I like Vera and can relate to her somewhat, the plot  / twists disappointed me. Seemed a bit predictable...

• I think it's tricky for me to read YA - there are definitely some YA I enjoy a lot, but then there are some that I am definitely not the right audience for. I guess I just need to pick more carefully in 2011...

• It was a fast read though, and the author's writing was easy to read.

• The book was written from 4 perspectives - Vera, her best friend Charlie, her dad, and The Pagoda (a place/location). Usually I enjoy reading books from multiple perspectives, but I wonder if we really need the Pagoda's perspective? I know there are books that made a place became a character too... but don't really get it in this book. Not sure if Vera's dad's perspective add much either. 

 
Rating: 2.5 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult

Book Review - The Breach by Patrick Lee

Title: The Breach
Author: Patrick Lee
Year: 2010
Page: 384
Genre: Fiction - Sci-Fi, Thriller

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Maybe
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Thirty years ago, in a facility buried beneath a vast Wyoming emptiness, an experiment gone awry accidentally opened a door.

It is the world's best-kept secret—and its most terrifying.

Trying to regain his life in the Alaskan wilds, ex-con/ex-cop Travis Chase stumbles upon an impossible scene: a crashed 747 passenger jet filled with the murdered dead, including the wife of the President of the United States. Though a nightmare of monumental proportions, it pales before the terror to come, as Chase is dragged into a battle for the future that revolves around an amazing artifact.

Allied with a beautiful covert operative whose life he saved, Chase must now play the role he's been destined for—a pawn of incomprehensible forces or humankind's final hope—as the race toward Apocalypse begins in earnest.

Because something is loose in the world.

And doomsday is not only possible . . . it is inevitable.

First Sentence: 

On the first anniversary of his release from prison, Travis Chase woke at four in the morning to bright sunlight framing his window blinds.

  
Why did I pick this book?
I forgot if I read a blog review or an amazon review about this book - said it is full of twists, so i couldn't resist!

My thoughts:

• Not bad... while the story does have some twists and turns that I didn't foresee, I didn't go WOW when the twists were finally revealed like I did with Shutter Island or The Sixth Sense.

• There is a bit of sci-fi element to the story - though more along the lines of The X-File and Lost... that made your brain hurt a little when trying to understand the logic :)

• There were some parts that seemed a bit unfinished (especially Chase's past). Since there is a Book 2, perhaps it would have explained more then. Not sure if I'd read Book 2 yet... 

• Liked the characters fine, but nobody really stood out... 

• I think if this was made out in the movie I'd have liked it better...

Rating: 3 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen

Title: American Uprising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt
Author: Daniel Rasmussen
Year: 2011
Page: 288
Genre: Non-Fiction - History

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Not sure
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Free ARC from HarperCollins

Summary (from goodreads.com):
A gripping and deeply revealing history of an infamous slave rebellion that nearly toppled New Orleans and changed the course of American history

In January 1811, five hundred slaves, dressed in military uniforms and armed with guns, cane knives, and axes, rose up from the plantations around New Orleans and set out to conquer the city. Ethnically diverse, politically astute, and highly organized, this self-made army challenged not only the economic system of plantation agriculture but also American expansion. Their march represented the largest act of armed resistance against slavery in the history of the United States.

American Uprising is the riveting and long-neglected story of this elaborate plot, the rebel army's dramatic march on the city, and its shocking conclusion. No North American slave uprising—not Gabriel Prosser's, not Denmark Vesey's, not Nat Turner's—has rivaled the scale of this rebellion either in terms of the number of the slaves involved or the number who were killed. More than one hundred slaves were slaughtered by federal troops and French planters, who then sought to write the event out of history and prevent the spread of the slaves' revolutionary philosophy. With the Haitian revolution a recent memory and the War of 1812 looming on the horizon, the revolt had epic consequences for America.

Through groundbreaking original research, Daniel Rasmussen offers a window into the young, expansionist country, illuminating the early history of New Orleans and providing new insight into the path to the Civil War and the slave revolutionaries who fought and died for justice and the hope of freedom.

First Sentence:
In 1811, a group of around 500 enslaved men dressed in military uniforms and armed with guns, cane knives, and axes rose up from the slave plantations around New Orleans and set out to conquer the city.

 
Why did I pick this book?
When HarperCollins asked if I wish to review some of their January 2011 titles, this one caught my eye as I wish to learn more about the history of slavery.


My thoughts:

• After I read The Help, I wish to learn more about slavery and its history in the US. While I don't typically read history books, I thought this may be a good book to start as I remember reading a blurb about "it read like a fiction" 

• I am afraid though I couldn't finish the book... I just couldn't get into it and got bored :( 

• Since history usually is not my genre, I think I'd stick to historical fiction instead if I want to learn a little more about history (I know, fiction is not 100% accurate... but at least it may spark my interest into learning more...)

• I think I'd pass this ARC onto someone else who may be more interested in this genre, rather than have it sitting on my shelve and go to waste. I think next time I'd be more careful in choosing ARC - to be fair to the author. Lessons learned. 

• This book will be out on Jan 4, 2011.

 
Overall Rating: 0 Stars. Did Not Finish.

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Book Review - Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey

Title: Financial Peace Revisited 
Author: Dave Ramsey
Year: 2002
Page: 352
Genre: Non-Fiction - Finance

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Yes
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the Library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Dave Ramsey knows what it's like to have it all. By age twenty-six, he had established a four-million-dollar real estate portfolio, only to lose it by age thirty. He has since rebuilt his financial life and, through his workshops and his New York Times business bestsellers Financial Peace and More than Enough, he has helped hundreds of thousands of people to understand the forces behind their financial distress and how to set things right-financially, emotionally, and spiritually.

In this new edition of Financial Peace, Ramsey has updated his tactics and philosophy to show even more readers:

• how to get out of debt and stay out
• the KISS rule of investing-"Keep It Simple, Stupid"
• how to use the principle of contentment to guide financial decision making
• how the flow of money can revolutionize relationships

With practical and easy to follow methods and personal anecdotes, Financial Peace is the road map to personal control, financial security, a new, vital family dynamic, and lifetime peace. 

First Sentence:
The speaker asked the people to raise the envelope containing their bills over their heads and to pray for their financial predicaments.

  
Why did I pick this book?
Husband and I were going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. This book is required reading, to supplement the class.


My thoughts:

• It is hard for me to rate this book, because we read this book to supplement the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class material. We read one or two chapters per week over 13 weeks, and not in sequence. 

• I'd say though, that we are really glad we did the class. We wish we'd done it earlier - when we got married, before we got married... and actually, while we were in high school, when we really thought about it. But it's better late than never, and I really think we feel more hopeful and less stressed about our future. There are still many years to go before we can retire (if we retire at the "normal" age), but I like that now we have a plan.

• This book is a good supplement to the class. It includes some worksheets, and examples. We are going to read another Ramsey book, Total Money Makeover, which has more case studies.

• Now, we don't think Dave Ramsey's way is the other way to help personal finances. But it definitely helps to have both husband and I to be on the same page, to open our communication (how many couples do not argue about money in one way or another?). We are not following everything to the T, but we're modifying some of his methods to suit our needs because I am confident we can stick to our plan. If you don't know Dave Ramsey, check out his website. He also has a radio show too so you can listen to that too! 

Rating: 4 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

Title: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by
Author: Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Year: 2010
Page: 208
Genre: Non-Fiction - Memoir

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably not...
Tearjerker? Don't know
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her uncommon encounter with a Neohelix albolabris —a common woodland snail. 

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater under standing of her own confined place in the world.

Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and mysterious courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, providing a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal.

Told with wit and grace, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world illuminates our own human existence and provides an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.

First Sentence:
From my hotel window I look over the deep glacial lake to the foothills and the Alps beyond.

  
Why did I pick this book?
I read a blog review (sorry forgot who it was), that basically said this is a little gem. So off I read!


My thoughts:

• I am afraid I didn't go very far with this book... it was moving a snail paced (no pun intended!). I get that this book is supposed to be reflective and introspective, but I got bored instead :(

• I was more interested about the mystery illness the author suffered... perhaps she talked more about it later in the book, but I didn't go far enough to find out

• I guess this is one of those books that you have to be in the right mood to read it, and I wasn't...

Rating: 0 Star. Did Not Finish.

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Book Review - Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Title: Out of My Mind 
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Year: 2010
Page: 295
Genre: Fiction - YA

New to me author? x
Read this author again? x
Tearjerker? x
Where did it take place? x
FTC Disclosure: x

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. 

Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget.

First Sentence:
Words.

 
Why did I pick this book?
Read a wonderful review about this book on Helen's Book Blog (see here). Sounds amazing!


My thoughts:

• Even though it has 295 pages, it's actually a pretty small book and definitely a fast read.

• I am glad I read this book, even though this book was probably aimed at a much younger audience (protagonist is 11 years old.) But it is quite heartwarming. Now some characters may be a bit too simplistic or stereotypical, but I have to keep in mind that I am not their target audience. But the message in the book applies to all age regardless!

• My favorite character in the book is Mrs V the neighbor. How cool to have a neighbor like so!

• In the beginning I thought the "voice" of Melody seemed too mature for a 11 years old. But after I finish the book it made more sense why the book started the way it did.

• There were also some touching moments (first words to parents). There were also some little twists in the plot that made it not overly predictable.

• Love how "clean" the cover is, and that it is meaningful to the story. Though I wonder if this cover appeals more to adults than to young adults? 

• The story reminds me a bit of Flowers for Algernon. So if you like that book you'd enjoy this one too. If you have children, I think this will also be a great book to read together. 

Quote:

Mom nods in agreement. "I know you're right, but -- but... it's just so much harder for Melody."

"No, it's harder for us. We have to figure out what's in her head." (p170)

Rating: 4 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult

Book Review - PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Title: PS, I Love You 
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Year: 2005
Page: 512
Genre: Fiction - Chick Lit

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably not...
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? Ireland
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
A novel about holding on, letting go, and learning to love again.
Now in paperback, the endearing novel that captured readers' hearts and introduced a fresh new voice in women's fiction.

Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed.

The kind of enchanting novel with cross-generational appeal that comes along once in a great while, PS, I Love You is a captivating love letter to the world!

Cecelia Ahern, the 22-year-old daughter of Ireland's prime minister, holds a degree in Journalism and Media Communications. She has completed her second novel, Rosie Dunne, and is at work on her third. She lives in Dublin, Ireland.

First Sentence:
Holly held the blue cotton sweater to her face and the familiar smell immediately struck her, an overwhelming grief knotting her stomach and pulling at her heart. 

  
Why did I pick this book?
One of my friends watched the movie and really loved it, so I thought I'd read the book... (haven't watched the movie)


My thoughts:

• You'd think after my last book, Simply from Scratch, I'd stay away from chick lit. However, since it dealt with a similar topic to Simply from Scratch (young window again), I thought I'd compare the two, and see if I really just don't like this genre...

• Well, I guess I liked PS, I Love You, a tad better but not by much. The premise was interesting, but again the husband and marriage was way too perfect that it didn't seem realistic. Holly also seemed a bit immature (or maybe I am just too old... even though I am supposed to be just slightly older than her.) I could see why it got made into a movie and why other girls may like it, but I just didn't really find it too funny or sad... again I just couldn't quite connect to the characters or their emotions (and I really don't think it's because I am NOT a window. We don't have any children, but there are other books about losing children that just pained me.)

• I haven't watched the movie, but somehow couldn't quite picture Hilary Swank as Holly?  Some reviews also said the movie was somewhat different from the book, so maybe I'd like the movie better? Even though I don't usually like chick flicks, but I did like (NOT LOVE) some, like My Best Friend's Wedding and My Big Fat Greek Wedding etc.

• And gosh, did Holly GIGGLED a lot. She giggled 3 times on one single page. 

• The story almost seemed too predictable, and the ending a bit anti-climatic. I think, if the book was shorter (over 500 pages), perhaps the story would have moved faster. 

• Well, I guess Chick Lit really isn't for me... 

Rating: 2 Stars

 

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading